Condos

Choice can be difficult for aging boomers

Should I stay or should I go? - Options aren't as easy as they seem

After trying a nursing home, Suzanne Lamoureux, right, realized her mother, Jacqueline, was happiest in the home they shared.

Photograph by: Chris Mikula
, The Ottawa Citizen

Canadian seniors may have long ceased playing games of leapfrog, but their numbers haven't. The latest census figures from Statistics Canada show seniors, those aged 65 and older, vaulting to 14.8 per cent of the population in 2011 from 11.6 in 1991; by 2031, that number will be almost 23 per cent.

The explosion is due to the mountain of baby boomers - those born between 1946 and 1964 - now entering their senior years. And with that shifting demographic comes a shift in housing needs.

The sprawling, maintenance-heavy sub-urban home, for example, will become impractical for many. But the majority of aging Canadians want to stay in their own homes - rather than living in a group set-ting, like a retirement residence - as long as they can, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

Some solutions are already common: Renovating an existing home to accommodate diminished mobility, for example, or moving to an adult-lifestyle bungalow where someone else handles the exterior maintenance.

In between, there is a raft of other creative options, like Villa Aulneau. The former convent in Winnipeg is now a 157-unit residence for elderly nuns and lay people where the rent, starting at $1,570 for a studio apartment (no lease), includes meals, utilities and light housekeeping.

In the 2011 Canadian Housing Observer, CMHC predicts a continued demand for condominiums and institutions such as nursing homes as the population ages. It also foresees a strong demand for support services and renovators to adapt homes to help seniors age in place.

There are pros and cons to all housing choices.

Moving from leafy suburbia to a down-town condo, for example, can exact a toll, says John King, a broker with Faulkner Real Estate in Ottawa. His clientele includes many seniors.

"I've seen people who think it's time for a condo. Then they find it's too small and congested and there's a lack of privacy."

King recently advised friends who were considering selling their home to rent a condo for a while and then decide.

There are other obstacles to finding age-appropriate housing. Poor seniors and those in rural areas often have fewer housing choices. And loneliness can stalk seniors, especially if they're living alone.

Older men may have more difficulty than women in adapting to living solo be-cause they've been less involved in daily chores such as grocery shopping, says Lu-is Rodriguez, a housing and urban planning consultant and former senior researcher at CMHC. An elderly woman, by contrast, may simply carry on with her daily tasks, there-by staying busy and connected with her community.

One way or the other, says Rodriguez, "there's a need for communities to have a wide range of housing choices be-cause individual circum-stances are so different."

Here's a look at some of those choices.

Condos

A popular downsizing option: Almost 30 per cent of Canadian condo owners were 65 and older, according to the 2006 Canadian census.

A new condo in a mid-rise to highrise building in Ottawa averages $395,626, according to PMA Brethour Realty Group, while one-storey resale units averaged $298,265 during the first five months of this year, according to the Ottawa Real Estate Board.

Older, resale condos are often larger than new ones, but don't usually have amenities such as rooftop terraces and may require renovation.

Before buying, investigate potential heavy repair costs on deteriorating common areas like roofs.

Pro: Maintenance-free

Con: Former single-family homeowners may not like paying condo fees, which can be high, or sharing ownership of common areas.

Adult-lifestyle/ retirement communities

Communities for independent seniors, often close to a golf course and other amenities.

Homes are typically bungalows or low-rise condos. The homeowner is not responsible for snow removal or other exterior maintenance.

Parkbridge in Greely (parkbridge.ca) offers factory-built bungalows by Guildcrest starting at $173,500. The community operates on a land lease basis, where the resident owns the home and the company owns the land, keeping purchase price low.

The Legends at eQuinelle in Kemptville (eqhomes.ca), built by eQ Homes, includes condos from $259,900 and bungalow towns from $277,900.

Pro: Low maintenance; community atmosphere

Con: Homogenous population doesn't appeal to everyone.

Renovating to age in place

For anyone wanting to remain in their home, incorporating elements of universal design, which makes buildings accessible to people with and without disabilities, is job one. Typical projects: Installing bathroom grab bars, a low-threshold shower, a higher toilet. Other possibilities: more accessible kitchen cabinetry, wider doorways and a chairlift on stairs.

Aging in place (or staying at home as you age) doesn't have to mean an institutional look. The Invisia Collection of designer-like grab bars, for example, would make any bathroom proud.

Ontario's Healthy Homes Renovation Tax Credit for seniors is worth up to $1,500 for improving accessibility within your home.

Low-income seniors can apply for CMHC's Home Adaptations for Seniors' Independence (HASI) program; it provides a forgivable loan of up to $3,500 for making a home more accessible. They may also be eligible for up to $16,000 under CMHC's Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program for Persons with Disabilities (RRAP - Disabilities). Information: cmhc.ca/en/co/prfinas/prfinas_004.cfm For more information on aging in place, see the CMHC publications at our online microsite: ottawacitizen. com/seniorshousing.

Pro: Aging in a home and community that you know

Con: Renovations can be expensive and disruptive.

Cohousing

In cohousing, which began in Denmark in the '80s, members own their homes, but share in planning and management of the community. They often have a weekly potluck dinner and other activities in common areas.

Homes are about the same price as in any community. There can be an emphasis on sustainable design.

For people who have lived in standard suburban or urban settings, sharing this way can be difficult at first, says Margaret Critchlow, co-founding director of Canadian Senior Cohousing canadianseniorcohousing.com). "You have to give your neighbours the benefit of the doubt, but soon you realize they are invaluable."

Senior cohousing projects are in the works across Canada. In Ottawa, Convivium Cohousing wants to build a mid-rise condo for people aged 55 and over, but has been stymied by the lack of affordable land.

Pro: Like the TV show Cheers, everybody knows your name

Con: Consensual decision-making can be frustrating.

Rental

Purpose-built apartment construction has plummeted across Canada in recent years, with investor-owned condos filling much of the market demand.

Renting a condo gives a tenant full protection under Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act, however, condo investors may flip their units for a profit or move in themselves, leaving tenants scrambling for lodging. Charles Brophy of Ottawa's Brophy Financial Planning says when it comes to the rent-versus-buy decision, seniors need to ask themselves if they would be better off staying put and paying for services such as yard maintenance. If that's not in the cards, they should crunch all the numbers, including probable proceeds from selling their home, before deciding to rent or buy.

Pro: Maintenance-free; no long-term financial obligations

Con: Unlike a house or condo, you don't own an asset that's growing in value.

Multigenerational housing

Can range from a bedroom with ensuite for an aging parent or parents to a secondary dwelling unit - a full in-home living suite, often added after a home is built.

Not yet a major trend in Canada, but it may find a market, especially among new Canadians. "By 2020, 15 per cent of seniors (in Canada) will be immigrants," says Hamdi Mohamed, executive director of Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization. "Immigrants often arrive late in life, they don't have access to the labour market and they stay poor longer so they have housing issues. Older immigrants tend to stay with their families."

MEDCottage (medcottage.com) is a variation on the secondary dwelling unit known as a garden or granny flat. Manufactured in Virginia, the 288-square-foot prefab units can be erected in a backyard, giving an elderly parent both independence and security. Units, which lease from about $1,400 to $1,700 a month Canadian or sell for roughly $87,000 plus shipping and assembly, include appliances and assistive devices such as vital sign monitors. Ontario's recent Strong Communities Through Affordable Housing Act requires municipalities to permit such structures, although only homeowners with larger lots may find them amenable and the units must be removed after 20 years.

South Shore Homes in Perth (southshorehomes.ca) manufactures its own line of garden suites, but without the assistive devices or appliances.

CMHC's Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP) provides forgivable loans of up to $24,000 or more for secondary dwellings for low-income seniors. Information: cmhc.ca/en/co/prfinas/ prfinas_002.cfm.

The mingle suite, while still rare, is a variation on multigenerational housing. Usually built in a condo project, it allows people, who may or may not be related, to share a common kitchen and dining/ living room while bedrooms, each with its own bathroom and balcony, are private.

Pro: Seniors enjoy both independence and security and families stay together

Con: Costly (although so is a retirement home) and neighbours may object.

Continuum of care / services

Often used to describe services in a community with a mix of seniors housing, from units for independent residents up to full nursing care. Extra services for independent residents such as housekeeping and meals may be included in the basic cost or available for a fee.

In the Ottawa area, Bruyère Village (bruyere.org/en/ bruyere-village) on the east side will offer mixed housing, including some at below-market rates, once completed. Alavida Lifestyles (alavidalifestyles.com), which is pricier, is working toward the same in its communities in various parts of Ottawa.

Others include Hyde Park in Richmond (hydeparkrichmond.com). It operates on a life-lease basis similar to Parkbridge's land lease, although banks don't like to lend money for such lease-type purchases.

Findlandia Village (finlandiavillage.ca) is a similar, two-decade-old model in Sudbury. It's a mix of townhomes, apartments and other units where seniors can age in place. "We've had some people who have gone from the nursing home back to an apartment with some (assisted living services) as they get healthier," says executive director David Munch.

Pro: Aging in a community you know

Con: Privately owned operations can be expensive.

Other housing models include retirement homes, seniors co-ops (visit chaseo.org for a partial listing in Ottawa) and subsidized housing for low-income earners, like that provided by Ottawa Community Housing Corporation. OCH is teaming up with the Carling-ton Community Health Centre on a Merivale Road project that blends subsidized seniors' apartments with a ground-floor medical centre and social service hub; this could be a model for the future.

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